The interesting question is what happens when the battery dies · review
A retrofit lock with native Matter over Thread, so it joins Apple Home, Google Home and Alexa without a vendor bridge. Aqara states Apple Home Key support, a rechargeable battery quoted at up to six months, and a quiet unlocking mode.
The bottom line The lock to choose if the house already speaks Matter. The protocol is the reason, not the hardware.
Smart locks have a history of being abandoned. Companies fold, apps stop being updated, and a lock that depends on a server somewhere becomes an expensive thumbturn. That is the context in which this lock’s main specification should be read.
Aqara states native Matter support over Thread. That means the lock talks to Apple Home, Google Home and Alexa directly, without a bridge belonging to Aqara, and over a low-power mesh rather than your Wi-Fi. If Aqara disappeared tomorrow, a Matter lock would still be a Matter lock.
For a device you screw to your own front door and expect to use for a decade, that is worth more than any feature.
A Thread border router. Many households already have one inside a recent Apple TV or HomePod without ever having heard the term. Without one, the lock falls back to Bluetooth: it works at the door and not from away. Confirm this before ordering rather than after.
It turns your existing thumbturn. The cylinder, the door and the frame are unchanged, and so is their resistance to force. What changes is control and convenience.
A house already running Apple Home or Matter, where the lock should be part of the system rather than another icon on a phone.
On sale from 170 € to 195 € on the German, British, French, Italian and Spanish Amazon stores at the time of checking.
Listed but with no offer on the American Amazon store — the reference exists there and nobody is currently selling it.
Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2 September 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.
| Type | Retrofit — no drilling or cylinder change |
|---|---|
| Protocol | Matter over Thread, native |
| Ecosystems | Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, stated by Aqara |
| Access | Apple Home Key and multiple unlock methods |
| Power | Rechargeable Li-ion, up to 6 months stated |
| Modes | Quiet unlocking, automatic locking |
| Amazon reference | B0D1C75J4F (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces) |
| EAN | 0192784001349 |
Independence from one company's app and one company's servers. A Matter device joins Apple Home, Google Home and Alexa directly, and Thread is a low-power mesh that does not depend on your Wi-Fi. It is the specification most likely to still be working in five years, which on a lock matters more than on a light bulb.
A Thread border router, which most households with a recent Apple TV, HomePod or certain hubs already have without knowing it. Without one, the lock falls back to Bluetooth and loses remote control. Check before ordering.
If you are inside that ecosystem, it is the most convenient unlocking method available anywhere: a phone or watch held near the reader, working even when the phone's battery is too flat to turn on. If you are not, it is a feature you will never use.
Retrofit · built-in Wi-Fi, no bridge · Matter · charged at the door · months per charge
Nuki's fifth-generation lock puts Wi-Fi inside the unit, so remote access needs no bridge or hub, and adds Matter alongside Bluetooth. The battery charges at the door with the supplied cable rather than coming off it.
Best for: A household that wants remote access without adding another box to the hallway.
≈ £189 / 233 €
Retrofit · fingerprint, app and Bluetooth · magnetic auto-lock · 6 cells · no drilling
A retrofit lock that mounts over an existing cylinder with no drilling and no cylinder change. Signstek states fingerprint, app and Bluetooth access, magnetic auto-locking, and six batteries; the existing key still works from outside.
Best for: A first smart lock, and particularly a rented flat where nothing may be altered.
≈ 130 €
Retrofit · up to 18 unlock methods · full metal body, 50% slimmer · 9 months stated
SwitchBot states a next-generation motor, a full metal housing half as thick as its predecessor, up to eighteen unlocking methods with the Matter hub and touchscreen keypad, and a rechargeable main battery quoted at up to nine months.
Best for: A door where the indoor unit needs to be as unobtrusive as possible, on a household that likes options.
≈ 180 €
